Tables Turned
by lightsoul
Summary: Dick is asked by Artemis to "investigate" if Wally, her new friend, is gay or not by flirting, seducing and turning the charm on. What happens though when Dick is the one who ends up falling for him? AU BirdFlash
1. Grayson Charm

**Chapter: 1**

"Okay so here's the deal." Dick Grayson found himself in a very odd position; trapped in a booth all the way in the back of his 1avour1te diner surrounded by three, what any straight man would consider, beautiful young ladies. Artemis Crock, Megan Morse and Barbara Gordon all looked at him as he shrunk into himself. The older redhead was giving him a pointed look before continuing. "Arty has this new 'friend', right?"

"And he hasn't, like, _tried_ anything!" Artemis herself said, cutting off Barbara. "No hand holding, kissing or anything." She huffed. "I mean I would understand if he wasn't interested but-"

"-So," Dick finally spoke up, interrupting her rant. "What exactly does this have to do with me?"

"Well…" Megan began using her 'pretty, pretty, pretty please with extra sugar on top' look that always got to Conner. "They think Wally is…"

"I think he's gay." Artemis finished, crossing her arms.

"And we need you to try and uh…" Megan tapped her finger to her chin, thinking of how to put this delicately.

"We need you to seduce him."

"You know…flirt with him a bit."

"And see if he plays for the other team or not." All three of them leaned in with sweet smiling faces but Dick knew better. There was no escape, there was no reasoning and there was no saying no. The only brunet of the group sighed, munched on a fry and took a gulp of his coke.

"What do I have to do?" He silently cursed himself for telling Megan about his orientation, in total confidence by the way.

"Simple." Babs chirped.

"We set you two up on a, uh…date." Artemis took one of Dick's fries as Megan explained.

"You bat those pretty eyes and see if he drags you to a men's room stall for a little uh-" She made the phantom motion of a penis entering her mouth, tongue poking at the inside of her cheek and everything. Good ol' Artemis, no tact whatsoever.

"So just because he doesn't want to move things to fast you assume he's gay?" An elegant black eyebrow rose in a questioning manner, addressing the three young women in front of him.

"Please, Dick, he's a guy. All guys want one thing and every guy I've ever dated always made moves on, if not the first, the second date. At_least_!"

"Maybe he's…I don't know… _nice_?" Richard propped his chin up with his upturned palm; elbow stationed on the table as he messily ate his fries the three had bought for him as a not so subtle bribe. If only Alfred could see him now.

"Just do this as a favor for us. Please Dick." Both redheads gave him their best puppy dog eyes.

"Fine." He huffed. "When am I going to meet him?"

"Tomorrow after school; I told him you were Bab's little cousin and you needed a ride to the mall to pick up some things then take you to Bab's house. It's simple. Just lay the old Grayson charm on him."

Dick blushed and frowned. If he had any "Grayson" charm he wouldn't be single, or unpopular for that matter. "Little cousin? I'm not that much younger then you guys…" He frowned.

"Two and a half years is enough for you to be my little itty bitty cousin, Dicky." Babs ruffled his hair. He hated when people called him short or cute or itty bitty-which surprisingly came up more often than one would think. It didn't help that he was a late bloomer and often wondered if he'd always be this short.

"Alright…I'll try."

The next day after school Dick found himself standing in front of Gotham Academy, still in his uniform waiting for Artemis's friend to pick him up so he could begin playing his part in their plan. After a few minutes a red mustang pulled up in front of him. The dark tinted window of the passenger side door rolled down. "Hey, are you Richard Grayson?" A voice called out to him. Dick cautiously walked towards the sports car and peered inside.

"Are you Wally West?" The sight that greeted Richard was a little shocking. A gorgeous redhead with bright green eyes smiled at him from the driver's seat. He was in a tight fitting red shirt and dark blue denim jeans. He had his right hand clutching the gear shift and the other lazily gripping the wheel. The slight country accent he held in his voice and strong chiselled features made Dick's legs feel like jelly.

"Got that right! Hop in; the door's open." Dick did as told, tossing his bag in the back seat and plopping down in the front. "Sorry it took me so long to get here. All of the students here are wearing the same thing." He whined. "You're like, the third kid I asked. It doesn't help you look nothing like Barbara or that she can't describe you to save her life." He closed the door. "But you know what they say, third times the charm!"

He grinned. "Okay so, I'm new to Gotham little guy. Gonna need directions to the mall…Are you listening?"

Yeah, Dick was listening, though it seemed as he had lost his voice, or all confidence in himself as he stared down at his lap trying his hardest not to let his blush over take his whole face. They hadn't said He would be so… good looking. Artemis's choice in guys weren't always…great. Suddenly, Richard really regretted agreeing to this.

A hand waving in front of his face snapped him out of his thoughts and forced him to make eye contact with Wally. "Don't worry lil' guy. I'm not mean and I don't bite. I've been told I have a very sweet disposition."

"Right-uh, sorry. The mall is up ahead about three miles and then you're going to make a left on Monroe."

"Y'know Barbara didn't say you were so quiet, but that's fine. I can talk enough for the both of us." He grinned again, flashing those pearly white teeth making Dick look back to his lap. Wally shrugged and revved the engine before peeling out, grabbing the attention of academy students that still lingered around campus.


	2. A Connection

There was one thing Dick was sure of by the time they had arrived at the mall. Wally could talk; seriously, he could chat up a storm. The redhead hadn't been lying before when he said he could talk enough for the two of them. Richard was actually impressed. Wally cut the engine and looked over to his new companion with a semi-curious look.

"So what exactly are we here for?" They unbuckled their seatbelts, stepped out of the car and looked toward the huge building that was the Gotham Shopping Center. It was quite an impressive building if you asked Wally; nothing like this existed where he was from.

"Just running a few errands for Babs, picking up some things-supplies and stuff." He met the redhead's gaze.

"Oh, wow, so you can speak more than a few words at a time." He joked and cracked a grin.

"Sorry, I'm kind of shy around new people I guess." The brunet lied, not wanting to tell Wally the real reason.

"It's fine dude; I'll grow on ya in no time." He walked up to Richard and extended his hand. "We never officially introduced ourselves. I'm Wally West."

Dick took the offered hand. "Richard Grayson." A small smile grew on his face. "Shall we? I don't want to take up your entire day." He reluctantly let go of the older boy's hand and started making his way toward the building.

"Eh, it's fine. I've got nothing better to do at all. I was actually glad to do this for your cousin." Wally said as he started to follow.

"Babs mentioned you were new to Gotham?" Richards blue eyes glanced over his shoulder. He smiled a bit at the awe struck look on Wally's face as he looked around the shopping center. The city was nothing like Wally imagined; no building was under 3 stories high and everything looked so…new. He had been told that Gotham was a dark and seedy place with crime happening on every corner, which was true for the poorer outskirts. The upper part though was a bustling, sparkling metropolis, not unlike, well, Metropolis.

"Yeah I used to live in Iowa with my parents, then Kansas with my uncle till I finished high school." The redhead said, looking down at his small companion.

"What brought you here?" The brunet asked absentmindedly as Wally fell in step with him.

"Well you see my dad was a real dick, I mean really real dick he would-"

Dick paused for a second, Wally not noticing and kept walking and talking, and came a resolution. He has never failed at anything before and he won't fail this mission his only friends had entrusted to him. Richard Grayson was going to turn on the charm and seduce Wally West because he _didn't_ fail!

**-oOo-**

Richard was failing horribly. Every time he tried to turn on his so called "charm" it only made the redhead laugh or pat him on the head and call him cute; completely embarrassing really.

When they tried on clothes Dick tried that whole "turn redressing into a modeling display". You know, like in the movies! He couldn't hold Wally's attention. Green eyes kept shifting to passing by skirts. Dick gave up, Wally was straight-or he just wasn't what he was looking for.

Shoulders slumped they both headed to the food court to get some chow. It didn't help that Wally and Dick had, for all that the brunet could tell, nothing in common. Dick was a mathlete, chess pro and all around nerd while Wally…wasn't.

He wasn't sure at this point if this was a mission failure or success. The redhead held no interest in Dick, that would be his own fault though, and he was flirting with girls-_ogling_ them even.

He sat at a metal table in the mall's food court, a plate holding his favorite sushi roll in front of him. On the other side of the table sat Wally and 3 whoppers, two large fries, chicken fries and a large shake.

"You're seriously going to eat all that?" Dick asked cautiously.

"Mmmmhm!" He grinned and licked his lips as he stared down at his try of Burger King grub. He glanced over to his companion's plate and scrunched up his nose. "What is that?" He eyed it suspiciously.

"It's uh, sushi. Dragon Roll. You've never heard of sushi?" Dick said in amazement.

"I've heard of it, never seen it before. Nothing like that where I come from. Well there was a sushi place I was going to eat at for the first time back in central but someone came out puking and I high tailed it out of there." He frowned and looked at Dick a bit concerned.

"Don't worry; I've eaten here tons of times. No food poisoning yet." He said, half chuckling at Wally's expression. He picked up his chop sticks and without much effort put a piece of the sushi in his mouth.

"Dude! You know how to use those!" Green eyes widened comically as Wally shouted in slight astonishment. Dick found his antics very amusing and really cute.

"Yup, wanna try a piece?" Richard held out a piece for Wally to grab half way out over the table. He was surprised however when said red head leaned over the table and took the sushi with his mouth. Dick blushed and retracted his hand as if it had been too close to fire. Chewing thoughtfully with his hand on his chin, eyes gazing into space, Dick's reaction went unnoticed but the red head.

"That was not bad, not bad at all." Wally beamed.

"Glad you, uh, like it." Dick stuttered. "There's an even better sushi place near my house if you want to go sometime."

"I am so down!" Wally fist pumped into the air. As Dick returned to eating with the etiquette that Alfred had hammered into him for high society life, Wally unwrapped his burger and tore into it like an animal. Dick wasn't sure if he was even chewing him food or just taking big bites and swallowing. He had even paused in his own eating to observe the gross yet entrancing creature in front of him.

The way this boy was eating you'd think he sparsely ate, if at all. "Hey dude, something wrong?" Wally inquired with his mouth still full.

"Uh yeah, no," Dick looked away from the sight and returned his eating. The red head swallowed the food in his mouth.

"You know, I don't know why I'm surprised that you eat like that."

The brunet paused. "Like what?"

Wally tapped his chin, he grinned at the slightly confused look he was getting. "Like, all high society!" He flailed his arms. "You took your blazer off, elbows off the table, hand under your food to make sure nothing falls. I bet you drink tea with your pinky up!" He laughed.

"I can't help it; it's how I was taught!" Dick said half frustrated. Blue eyes looked away, cheeks tinted red. Truth be told, if Dick was really comfortable with you he'd eat like a pig too-case in point, last night at the dinner.

"Hey, hey! I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought it was kinda funny." He grinned. The brunet could swear he'd never blushed this much in his life.

Dick huffed before going back to his food and Wally back to his. They sat in silence, enjoying the bustle of the mall as well as Wally's obnoxious eating sounds.

"So-" Dick started when he finished his sushi which was surprisingly after Wally, who was leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach, had finished all his food. "Are you like, dating Artemis? I heard Babs mention something about that."

"I'm still not sure about that girl. I mean I think she's cute, hot even! But she comes off as such a-"

"Grouch?"

"Yeah! Also I just got here and I don't think I'm ready for anything serious. I'm not a hit it and quit it type of guy so I think I'm just gonna wait and see how things play out." Well that explained a lot. Now he has something to report back to Artemis. "So quick question." Wally said suddenly. "Have we gotten everything we need?" He pointed to the bags that Dick had acquired throughout their mall journey. He was really hoping he would be reimbursed…this place wasn't cheap.

"Oh, yeah I guess. Unless there was something you wanted to do?"

"Well actually yeah I do. I wanna hit up the arcade I saw on the fifth floor. It looked glorious!"

"Dude, I'm so down. I love this arcade!" Finally a connection.

The boys made their way, and by made their way I meant sprint, to the arcade. Once inside of the dimly lit room, which was covered wall to wall with screen, and games, they ran over to the coin machine. Both Wally and Dick deposited a five dollar bill and were rewarded with handfuls of quarters. They paused and glanced at each other before both exclaiming "Call of Duty!" and rushed over to the empty screen where they spent the better part of two hours being the loudest customers.

The sun was setting when Dick arrived at the Gordon residence. He unbuckled his seatbelt about to take his leave when Wally stopped him. "Hey dude!" Dick paused halfway out the door.

"Yeah?"

"It was really fun hanging out with you and we should totally do it again soon!" He took Dick's hand and pulled it over in front of him. Said teen looked at him curiously as the redhead grabbed a sharpie from his cup holder and scribbled on Dick's skin. When he released Dicks hand the brunet left the car and closed the door letting Wally know it was okay to speed off.

For a minute Dick stood there dumbstruck as he looked at the seven digits that Wally had written on his palm. The red head had given him his number and he couldn't be more elated. He walked up to the front door of Bab's house about to ring the bell but stopped when the door swung open to reveal his "cousin" who yanked him inside and slammed the door.

"So, how'd it go? Huh?" She looked at him excitedly.

He closed his palm that very second, hiding his hand behind his back.

"It went uh, well…I guess. He's not gay though…He just doesn't want anything serious or a one night stand right now since he just got into town. That's what he told me anyway."

Barbara held her chin for a second, looking at Dick suspiciously causing him to squirm and fidget under her gaze. "Okay!" She chirped. "I'll let Arty know. They're going out tonight on a date so I'll tell her to expect no changes." She started walking down the hall and deeper into the house leaving Dick at the front door looking down at the tiles; dejected look on his face. "One less thing to worry about, right?" She didn't look back. He stoned his face and followed.

**-oOo-**

Wally found himself at a pizzeria located a few blocks from his apartment with Artemis. She sat across from him, slowly sipping her coke looking as if this was the last thing she wanted to be doing. "Something wrong, Beautiful?" He asked before stuffing a slice of pepperoni into his mouth.

Artemis frowned slightly. "No." She lied. The in fact was something wrong. She had gotten a text earlier from Babs saying that Wally wasn't exactly looking for, well, anything at the moment making the blond feel like she was wasting her time. "How was your day with Dick by the way?" She said, knowing it would distract him.

"I actually had a lot of fun! That little dude is so not how I imagined. You know, all prim and proper, 'better than thou' types. I'd really like to hang with him again." Wally beamed. Artemis arched an eyebrow at the look Wally was wearing.

He seemed to…glow…when he described his day. When he described _Dick_.


	3. Give In

"You know you look constipated like that? When your concentrating really hard." That statement brought Richard out of his thoughts and homework. His brow knit together and a frown formed on his lips as he brought his skype window back on screen and glared at the redhead who was grinning like a moron.

"Excuse me if I have calculus2 homework that I couldn't get down because some red head decided to distract me all day long." Dick Grayson was currently lying in his bed in a t-shirt and boxer briefs trying to get his homework done when wally called him on skype from his job. It was currently two in the morning and Alfred should be asleep, Bruce wouldn't be home for another hour and a half which would normally be enough time for him to get something like this done but now he was being distracted.

"You do way too much homework dude. You're going to have a nervous breakdown. Just think of me as a deterrent." He grinned.

"You're just bored. You should be working, not bugging me." He said in mock irritation. He knew that Wally knew it wasn't real or else he would have ended the call a while ago. It was surreal for Dick that it had only been less than three weeks since he had met Wally and they had already become "best bros" as the red head put it. They were hanging out at least four times a week, texting all the time and when Wally was at his intern job they skyped until Richard fell asleep at his computer. Wally said he looked adorable when he drooled on his keyboard. Anyone else would think it was creepy that the other boy had watched him sleep on occasion but not Richard.

"I already finished my assignment, plus your still up. So entertain me!" The red head demanded. Richard rolled his eyes and went back to his homework. "By the way, why aren't you at your desk?"

"I'm on my laptop, on my bed. Falling asleep in a chair every night is killing my back and sleeping in jeans is really uncomfortable."

"What do you normally sleep in?" Wally mused.

"T-shirt and underwear…" Richard stopped clicking on the keys of his laptop and brought skype back up. "Why?" He looked at the boy curiously.

"Dunno, I just imagined some expensive silk PJ's or something." He scratched cheek, something Richard recognized as a nervous habit.

"Cant, allergic to silk." Dick chuckled. "Egyptian cotton on the other hand…" They both laughed, and then fell into silence. After a few seconds Richard returned to his homework.

"Hey Dick… Me and Arty are going to this garden shrine thing tomorrow. D'ya wanna come with?" Once again fingers stopped gliding over the keys of his laptop.

"I don't know…that sounds like a "you and her thing". Don't want to be a third wheel…again." Richard paused, remembering the last time Wally had dragged him on his and Artemis' pseudo date. No one went home happy that day.

"Nah, it's nothing like that! Arty is bringing Megan, so I'm bringing you."

"By the sound of that I don't have much of a choice…where's my phone?" Dick sat up and looked over his bed.

"Nope, not really. Have you checked your pants pocket?" Dick leapt off his bed and turned on lamp beside his bed before searching all over his room for his discarded pants. "Hey as much as I like watching you parade around in your underwear…Also Iron Man undies, really dude?"

"You don't have to watch me you creeper and who are you to talk, I've seen those SpongeBob boxers" Dick laughed.

"It still amazes me that your room is messier than mine…"

"Aha!" Richard pulled the pants out a pile of clothes and searched the pockets.

"What do you need your phone for anyway? Expecting a call at 3am?

"I need to charge it if you must know. Hey dude, I'm heading to sleep. My dad's going to be home any minute not and he doesn't like it if I'm up when he gets home."

"Okay, okay… I'll see you tomorrow?" Dick stopped for a moment, tapping his chin.

"I don't know Wally…" He got back into bed, lying down on his stomach, laptop in front of his face. Wally could see the bags forming under his eyes and a twinge of guilt flashed over his features.

"Please, please, please Dickie!" He whined, giving Dick his best kicked puppy face.

"I said don't call me that!" He glared at the screen. They matched stares for a few seconds, but al went according to Wally's plan, Dick gave in.

"Fine. Good night." Dick always gave in. The red head gave Richard an easy going smile.

"Night." The call ended, Dick closed his laptop, turned out the light and hopped back into bed. He didn't fall asleep immediately, his thoughts full of a certain red head.

Dick found himself standing next to his two female friends. Arty and Megan were chatting while Dick remained silent. He was wondering if he should really be accompanying them on this outing. He cursed himself for never being able to say no to the redhead. "Bab's really wanted to come,too bad she had to go to her dads event." Megan mused. They were all at a local park where they told Wally to meet them.

"She shouldn't be. It's probably going to be boring." Artemis frowned.

"What makes you say that?" Megan asked, looking to the blond.

"I don't know…it's like every time there's a chance for us to be alone he says "Hey, let's invite dick. Or I wonder what Megs is up to. Or something like that!" She was obviously talking about the carnival incident last week. Dick frowned at the memory. "I don't think he's into me…" Richard stepped away from the two as Megan gave Artemis a pep talk. The brunet leaned against a tree, thankful he had brought a change of clothes with him. Going out everywhere in uniform was so not cool.

It took Wally a few minutes to get to them, driving up and honking. They three made their way to the car. Artemis sat in front while Megan and Dick sat in the back. "Hey beautiful, Megalicious and Dickie."

"Hey." Artemis grunted.

"Hi!" Megan chirped.

Dick kicked Wally's seat, not too thrilled Wally used that nick name while in the presence of his friends. The red head chuckled, looking at Dick through the rearview mirror. He sported a scowl as he glared back through the mirror. Their eyes lingered before he pulled out of the park and sped towards their destination.

"So, how was school today?" Wally asked to no one in particular.

"Super fun! Aced three exams and tried out for cheerleading." Megan beamed.

"Wow, sounds awesome." Wally smiled.

"It was…uneventful." Artemis shrugged. Wally glanced at her for a second before looking at Dick through the rearview for his response.

"Corrected the teacher today, and I was told there's a competition coming up-" He shrugged. "-nothing out of the usual."

"Competition? What for?" The male redhead asked, interest peaked.

"Dick is a mathlete." Artemis snorted. Richard frowned.

"Mathlete?" Wally asked, nose scrunched up.

"It's a competition where all the nerds and dweebs come together and answer overly complicated math problems for trophies." Artemis said, as informative as ever. Dick wondered sometimes how he was friends with the rude blond.

"Sounds…exciting?" Wally glanced back, Dick shrugged.

"I like it…and I'm good at it." He half glared at the back of Artemis' head. There was a sudden tension in the car between the brunet and the blond. Both red heads looked at each other. Wally's eyes were questioning while Megan's were confused.

"So uh…" Wally tried to clear the air but Artemis and Dick glared out of their respective windows making the rest of the trip a silent one; this was going to be a repeat of the carnival incident.

The sun was setting on the lovely evening, casting the garden in a lovely amber rose color. Dick was currently up a tree that over looked a small pond in the middle of the garden. He was absentmindedly tossing acorns in the water. He shouldn't have come, even though there were four of them, Dick still felt like a fourth wheel. When they had first arrived Wally tried desperately to divide his attention between Dick and Artemis which only made the blond irritated. Richard tried to create space so that she and Wally could have pseudo couple time but only made Wally think he wasn't having fun or that he was down, making the red head give him all of his attention. Maybe this is why Dick didn't have many guy friends. Having male friends was…difficult while being gay.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Dick looked to the trunk of the tree and spotted Wally looking up at him a good ten feed below.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Yeah…that's what Artemis said too…I know you guys don't think I'm bright, and I am a bit clumsy but Im not stupid. Did you guys have a fight or something?"

"No." He sighed. "Nothing like that." He jumped down off the branch, landing gracefully next to the red head. "It's…complicated." Wally smiled and ruffled his hair. Dick frowned and immediately tried to restyle it.

"I…just don't like it when friends fight." He crossed his arms, looking out over the pond.

"We're not fighting. It's just…nothing." The brunet gave up trying to explain the situation. "It will fix itself soon. Trust me." He offered Wally a smile to put him at ease.

"C'mon Megan has curfew so we have to go."

"Alright." They both made their way over to where the two girls were talking. Artemis had her default half scowl on while Megan chewed her lip nervously.

"You lovely ladies ready to go?"

"Sure are!" Megan chirped, the worried expression gone from her face before the other red head could notice. "He Wally I was hoping you could tell me about something!" She ran over to him and grabbed him by the arm, dragging him away; leaving Dick and Artemis alone like she planned. Dick gulped, not liking the "conversation they were going to have.

"Look, Richard." She started, hands on her hips. "I know you have this little boy crush on Wally, and it's really adorable and all but you're stepping on my toes here." Dick didn't respond, or refute her claim. He looked away, a twinge of pink on his cheeks. "It's hard to get any alone time with him if you're always tagging along!"

"I didn't even want to come!" Dick burst out at her, catching her off guard. "He asked me to; he wouldn't let me say no. So instead of blaming me for you not being able to get his pants maybe it's something you did." His blue eyes glared at her before he stormed off toward the car. She didn't know how hard it was, how hard it was for Dick to be constantly badgered by the handsome redhead and know that nothing would come of it; that no matter what the object of your fixation, your crush would never feel the same way-that you would only be looked at as a little bother.

Richard just realized that he had stormed off and made it to the car before everyone else. He lets out a sigh of frustration and leans his head against the cool glass of the driver's side window; his breath fogs the tempered glass. In the reflection of the window he sees Wally approaching from behind and quickly composes himself. He turned around and faced the red head, seeing that Megan and Artemis were a ways behind him.

"Now I know there's something wrong…" Wally said, a look of worry settles on his face. "You're biting your lip…you only do that when something is bugging you." Dick's eyes widen. He needed to stop underestimating Wally.

"It's nothing I can't handle." He shoots the other boy a reassuring smile and turns away from him as the two girls join them.

"Okay…" The red headed boy mutters under his breath.

The car ride him was just as silent as the one there. Megan was dropped off at home first. She said a cheerful goodbye before whispering something to Artemis and skipping off to her home where she lived with her uncle. Next was Artemis, Wally stopped outside of her apartment and looked over to her. He was no doubt about to say good bye with some sort of compliment or an invitation to go out again but it died in his throat when she jumped out of the car and slammed the door. The red head sat there for a moment, watching her retreating back and frowned. He revved the engine and made his way towards Dick's house-er-manor. He told Dick to hope up front because "He was no one's chauffer". So here he was again, in Wally's front seat, hands in his lap and eyes downcast like the first time he had met the redhead; at least the time of day was different.

Wally was about to open his mouth, probably some sort of small talk to get something out his unusualy silent friend but was cut off when Dicks phone began to ring.

"Hello?" He answered. "Hey Al…No, I'm fine and I have a ride home so don't worry about it. Is Bruce there…is he coming home at all? I see…Did you tell him about the competition?" He asked hopefully. When his face fell further Wally could guess how the conversation was going. "I see, yeah I know he's busy…yeah maybe next time." Dicks voice became quieter with each word before he finally hung up the phone. His gaze lingered on the screen of the phone before shoving it into his pocket.

"I bet it gets lonely…" Wally's voice cuts through Dicks thoughts. The brunet looks at him quizzically. "Being in that huge house…just you and Alfred all the time."

"Bruce is home…sometimes. Maybe twice a week I see him. It's not that bad….I just…"

"I know…me and my dad didn't have the best relationship either." They fell into a mutual silence as the sun set in front of them bathing Gotham in the beautiful evening sunlight. "Hey….I have an idea. How about you spend the night at my place? Tomorrow is Saturday, so no school and I don't have work. It's perfect."

"I don't know if that's a good idea Wally…"

"Please Dickie!" His toes curled at the use of that name, he knew what was coming. "We're just going to up all night on skype anyway." He half whined. Wally knew he was going to give in.

"Fine." Dick always gave in.

_**Okay, I don't know why but this is not my favorite chapter…I may come back and edit it later, change it up a bit and I'll let you know if I do.**_

_**Vampaddiction: No, there are no real life super heroes in the story. Just comic book heroes.**_

_**Ex Mentis: Nope, I live in Cali. I just made up a name for a street, thoughI'm sure there is a Monroe st. here in Cali somewhere.**_

_**Marcus1233: Yes, Dick and Richard are the same. Dick is a nick name for Richard….not sure why *shrug***_

_**CHiKa-RoXy: Thanks for that!**_

_**As always, please read and review and any criticism is welcome!**_


	4. Cookies, Dirt and Sweat

_**Edited to make corrections that I had failed to notice before and also added the info SecretMeta provided me with. I also forget to thank all the reviewers from Chapter 3! I got over 20 reviews for one chapter!**_

If you asked Dick Grayson what's your least favorite moment in your entire life he would, of course, say when his parents died. There were other moments too, like when he had been almost mauled by that huge tiger when he was still in the circus and of course when he came out of the closet. This moment, even though those were far-far worst, was pretty up there; maybe fifteenth…no twentieth definitely. Here he was in Wally's slightly cramped one bedroom apartment on the lumpy couch, the far end of said couch that could easily seat four people. He was sitting on the far end because Wally, the jackass, was lying across all the cushions with his feet dangling off the other end and red hair covered head nestled snuggly in Dicks lap. I wouldn't be so bad—it really wouldn't if it were for the _fidgeting_…the constant twitching and movement. Of course when he and Wally had gotten to the redheads place the first thing he does is play call of duty. So the constant moving, tapping of buttons and occasional curses and the fact that Dick was trying his damnedest not to rake his fingers through the others red hair along with the slight onset panic the younger boy was feeling all added up to make his twentieth worst moment ever.

He wondered idly if all this touching-the contact between them, physical and simple communication, would change if he came out and told the red head he was gay. All his friends knew, with the exception of said red head, and all the assholes at school knew too so why keep it from Wally. That also made him wonder; if Artemis had already told him, in which case would mean that Wally has no problem with it. If the blond hasn't told Wally then the question would be why not? If he's ruining what she has or could have with Wally it seems like that would be the thing to create distance between the two boys. Or maybe, a voice deep within his consciousness called, she hasn't told him because you two-no matter what was going on between you-are good friends. Dick surely hoped that was the case. He wouldn't want to lose what took three years to build because of a guy…but…this guy. Blue eyes drifted from the blood splattered T.V. screen to the red head who occupied his lap. His breath hitched when he saw that green eyes were staring right at him giving him a curious gaze.

"You okay, you're not still bummed are you?" Wally asked a bit concerned.

"No, I'm just a bit worried that I should be doing homework I was assigned this weekend." Wally rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"You do waaaaay too much homework dude. I'm actually starting to worry about your health and wellbeing." He pouted slightly. Dick, in turn, rolled his own eyes. It was then Richard noticed that Wally had lost the game and the television was displaying the score screen. They fell into a comfortable silence. Wally let his eyes close and leaned slightly into the hand that was entwined in his red locks and—wait when did that happen? Dick's fingers were softly treading though Wally's hair and not only did he not mind it he leaned into it. To say Dick had started panicking would be a slight understatement…Slight. His normally pale face lit up and he snatched his hand away prompting Wally to open his eyes and give the other boy another innocently confused look.

"So I'm getting kind of hungry." He looked away, forcing the blush down and schooling his face. Wally sat up much to Dick's relief and disappointment. He turned to face Dick, legs crossed and hands in his lap. He seemed to be pondering something. Dick sunk further into the couch feeling slightly uncomfortable at their closeness and that Wally was almost sitting in his lap.

"There's a Chinese place right down the street. Like a ten minute walk."

"Can't we just drive?" He leaned back.

"Dude it's like ten minutes down the street and I've already used up a bunch of gas today going to that garden which turned out to be a total bust by the way." Richard knew where this was going. He decided to keep Wally on the subject of dinner.

"Gotham isn't the…safest place to walk around at night. Especially this neighborhood." Wall frowned.

"You don't think I could protect you?" He crossed his arms.

"I didn't say-" Richard tried to defend himself.

"Look at these guns Dick!" He held out his arm in front of Dick and flexed, showing off his muscle. He gulped before continuing.

"Wally, you're not the most uh…" He searched for the right way to phrase this without damaging the older boy's ego. "You're not…the most…threatening looking guy I know. I'm pretty sure your "guns"-" He knows he shouldn't have used air quotes, "-won't frighten off some of the thugs out there." He laid a hand on Wally's still flexed arm causing it to relax and fall to his side. The redhead frowned and gave Dick a look that was a cross between betrayal and sadness which made Dick feel terrible for damaging his ego. Wally deflated and harrumphed, collapsing back onto the couch.

"Ouch dude, ouch." He muttered. Dick offered him a smile."Okay, so-" He stretched out so his lets were in Dicks lap, at which Dick frowned slightly. "-I'll order Pizza?" He asked.

"Ugh, I'm so sick of pizza. We always have pizza when we hang out." The look on the redheads face after Dick's statement was priceless; a mix between horror, disgust and anger.

"How dare you take the name of pizza in vain!" Dick rolled his eyes and Wally's childishness.

"Well I just did."

"Well there's this Italian place nearby…" Wally said, anger already forgotten.

"Do they deliver?" Dick loved Italian food.

"They will for me. The chick that works there has a huge crush on me!" He said slyly as he dashed off the couch, away from Richard, not noticing how the slight frown on the younger boys face had deepened. The brunette shook his head, causing hair to fall in his face as he schooled his face and rose from the couch. He followed Wally into his bedroom where he had left his phone. Going into Wally's room was a bit of a surprise for the younger boy, since Wally always teased him about it, but it held true; the redheads room was cleaner the Dicks.

Not to say the room was spotless, because it wasn't. There was an empty instant ramen cup next to the bed, a pair of discarded pants and socks littered the floor and his shoes tossed haphazardly into the room along with Dick's long forgotten back pack. Wally plopped himself onto the bed, retrieving his phone from one of his pillows and started dialing some numbers, the ones to the Italian restaurant where Wally probably flirted with the cute girl who took his orders. Dick was starting to frown again. His eyes widened however when they landed on a small stuffed elephant that sat on Wally's other pillow. Dick crawled onto the bed next to Wally and grabbed the plush animal and laid his head down on the pillow. The pillow smelled like a combination of cookies-chocolate chip, dirt and sweat. Essence of Wally, he chuckled at his own though. It wasn't a bad smell either, it was calming.

He looked at the Elephant then at the redhead who was looking at him as he waited for someone to answer his call. "You kept it?" Dick asked as he toyed with the plushy.

"Of course, I won it for you. You think I'd throw it away?" He smiled softly.

"I left it in your car, I thought you would." Dick shrugged.

"No way am I throwing away Mr. Peanut!" Richard raised an eye brow at the name.

"You named it Mr. Peanut?"

"What did you want to name it?" Wally inquiries.

"Does it need a name?"

"Have you, like, never had a stuffed animal?" Wally looks incredulously at the younger boy. Dick shrugs.

"There was this elephant back in the circus that I used to love; her name was Zitka." Richard smiles at the memory and Wally smiled.

"I like it better when you smile." The redhead stated and poked Richard in his ribs causing the younger boy to yelp and flinch away. Of course this only made Wally continue his assault. The attack much to Dick's relief was stopped a few seconds later when Wally sat up. "Hello? Yeah is Helen there? It's there beautiful." He said in his usual flirty tone. Richard settled back on the bed, back to toying with the elephant. He wondered idly why he was here, what made him come here to be tortured by the gorgeous redhead. He glanced up at Wally and remembered that he was a push over when it came to the older boy. "Can I get an order of Chicken Alfredo A la carte," Wally stared at him as he made his order. "spaghetti and Meatballs," Wally laid back on the bed, his eyes still glued to Dicks blue ones unaware that he was making the smaller boy fidget. "ravioli and uh-" He took the phone away from his ear "-what you want?" He asked Dick.

"Chicken Parmesan?" Dick offered, not really paying attention as to what was going on, lost in his thoughts of self-pity and reminding himself that, again, this was not a date. Even though it felt like one.

"Chicken Parmesan." He repeated back into the phone. "Huh? No, I have a guest over. The blond girl? Artemis? No, no I have another friend over. She isn't my girlfriend and the friend I have over is a guy." He blushed slightly and looked away from Dick prompting the brunette to listen closer to what was being said. "Haha no, I would take him to the restaurant but I'm kinda low on gas." He scratched his freckle covered cheek and laughed meekly. "Okay, I'll see you later beautiful." He hung up the phone, still opting not to look at the dark haired boy and instead stare up blankly at the ceiling.

"So." Dick started, turning onto his side and looked at the redhead. "You want to take me out to a fancy Italian restaurant?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Only the best for you Dickie." Wally teased before hoping off the bed. "The foods gunna be here in an hour. I want to kick your ass at CoD before it gets here."

"Kick my ass? Please West you'd be lucky if I let you kiss my ass!" He dropped Mr. Peanut onto the bed before heading into the living room, passing Wally up. The redhead, not to miss this opportunity, slapped Dick's ass as the brunette ran by causing him to yelp in surprise.

"You jackass!" Dick squeaked, his voice cracking terribly furthering his embarrassment. Wally laughed and was promptly tackled on to the couch. Lost in their wrestling, which had moved from the couch, to the floor, back to Wally's room and then back to the couch they hadn't noticed the time. Forty-five minutes later there was a knock at the door which made the two pause. Dick was lying on his back on the couch while Wally straddled his waist bot the redhead's hands underneath the brunets shirt, assaulting his ribcage and teasing the sensitive skin. Dick cheeks were blazing when he realized the position they had found themselves in or were they red from the horseplay? That sounded like a better excuse. Wally cleared his throat, retrieving his hands from under Dick's shirt.

"I'll get it." He leapt up from the couch and bounded for the door. Richard lay on the couch taking deep breaths, willing away his…problem. Wally opened the door and was greeted by a man no older then he was that worked at the Italian restaurant.

"Hey Sergio." The red head greeted.

"Hey Wally." He responded, seemingly bored. He handed Wally the bags of food. "Thirty five seventy" Wally fetched his wallet and paid in cash. They said their farewells and Wally assured Sergio he would be calling again soon. The other boy seemed ecstatic-sarcasm. He closed the door and looked over to his companion, noticing he was still lying on the couch and panting slightly.

"Dickie! I have food! You okay over there? I didn't break you did I?"

Dick got up from his position on the couch and wobbled over to the table in Wally's part kitchen part breakfast nook part living room that held a small table that could seat two. They dug into their food, hardly a word was shared between them. Mostly because Dick knew if he started talking Wally would surely talk with his mouth full of pasta and that was not a pretty sight. Dick looked at Wally, who had a small smile gracing his face and the younger boy couldn't help but feel at home, here with Wally.

A few hours later Dick found himself sitting on the couch, his Ancient Civilizations book in his lap with the TV on for background noise as he read the required chapters. Wally had gone into his room, where they both were for a while, chatting. That is until Artemis had called. Wally had picked up his phone, cutting himself off mid-sentence and started to ignore Dick. The brunette thought it would be a great time to catch up on some homework and get the red head out of his mind…at least for a while.

Now Dick could focus on memorizing Who conquered who, and which of the roman emperors did what-or who, how far Genghis Khans brutal empire lasted and how Alexander the great-Holy mother of god Wally was walking into the kitchen half naked. Dicks blue eyes nearly popped out of his skull as Wally made the trip from his bedroom to the kitchen, He had changed into a pair of gym shorts and nothing else. Said gym shorts were riding low on his hips and Dick could follow the red treasure trail as it led down to his—oh god he wasn't wearing anything under them. Blue eyes followed every contour or the redhead's body and Dick could feel his problem coming back with a vengeance. Dick then also noticed the tattoo on Wally's chest, his well-toned chest, a lightning bolt that stood out against pale flesh, he would ask about that later. As Dick continued to eye rape Wally he hadn't noticed that Wally had already finished his glass of water, which he had originally gone into the kitchen for and was now walking slowly towards Dick.

"You okay little buddy?" Wally quirked an eyebrow. Dick flushed, he had been caught staring. He quickly looked down at his lap, to his book. He had failed to notice it had fallen from his lap onto the floor some time ago, you know…during the eye raping.

"Yeah, I'm just sleepy." He said quickly, his words almost running together.

"Then come to bed." Wally said slightly amused.

"Come to bed? I'm not sleeping on the couch?" He asked curiously.

"Well you can…but I don't have any extra sheets and that couch is a nightmare to crash on." Dick nodded, now realizing that he was going to be sleeping with Wally in Wally's bed…in his shirt and undies since he hadn't packed PJs and Wally would be wearing near nothing. Dick shook his head, chasing away the perverse thoughts. He set the book onto the couch and followed the redhead into his room. This was going to be terrible. He couldn't help but smile.

_**One note! I completely forgot to mention Dicks backpack in the previous chapter so it appears to materialize out of nowhere in this one. Sorry about that if anyone caught it. Second note! I read somewhere that Dick had a stuffed elephant(or something) from his days at the circus that he slept with when he as younger. I could not for the life of me find more info so I decided to go blind. Feel fre to correct me and I'll edit it.**_

_**Final note! As far as this story is going I have 3 possible endings thought up and about 3 plots that could unfold. Nothing has been decided though. I would mention them but I don't want to spoil anything.**_

_**As always Read and Review please! Criticism is always welcome!**_


	5. An Inkling

Remember before when Richard said that the little scene yesterday in the living room was his 20th least favorite moment in his life? Well, this moment, when he woke up from a very comfortable sleep—this moment at 7:30 AM on Saturday was definitely in his top ten least favorite moments. Ironically Richard would also rank it in the top ten of his _most_ favorite moments. You see it is in this moment that Richard realized that Wally West cuddled in his sleep. He shouldn't judge though since he himself was cuddling the plush elephant close to his chest.

The red head had an arm wrapped around his thin waist, hand placed precariously on the small of his back. Their legs tangled and Wally's face firmly planted in his dark hair. Richard had been laying her for what seemed like hours, but in actuality was only about fifteen minutes, relishing in the closeness. He took the time to look over the red head's sculpted slightly pale body; freckles sparsely littered the flawless skin. His blue eyes racked over the well-formed chest down to his well-defined six pack.

Richard breathed a heavy sigh when it became clear that it was way too hot to cuddle. He pushed the covers off of them and disentangled their legs. Slowly and carefully, as to not wake Wally, Dick slipped out of bed and out of the red heads comforting hold as well as leaving Zitka, and then out of the room. He walked toward the kitchen, a place his stomach was leading him. He hissed when his bare feet came into contact with the cold tiled floor. Wandering to the refrigerator he opened it and frowned at the sight.

There were at least eight different to-go boxes from different restaurants and hardly and real groceries; A bottle of ketchup, a carton of milk and a few rotten pieces of fruit. Dick's face blanched at the smell wafting from the fridge. Taking the plunge he grabbed a few to-go boxes and opened then. Sure enough they had gone bad—all of them. After going through and throwing away all of the Styrofoam containers and rotten pieces of fruit Wally was just down to milk and ketchup. Gulping he grabbed the carton of milk and opened it tentatively. Taking a sniff he sighed in relief when it didn't smell rancid.

Setting the carton down on the counter he walked to the cupboards and opened one and almost snorted. What Wally lacked in groceries he made up for in cereal. There were at least ten different boxes. "Bachelor chow." Dick snickered to himself. Grabbing the fruity pebbles, he set the box by the milk and journeyed to find a clean bowl. He ended up finding a clean bowl, as well as the rest of the clean dishes and silverware, in the dishwasher.

After pouring himself a bowl of fruity pebbles and putting the milk and cereal back in their respective places he sat on the couch in the living room and did what most teenagers do on Saturday morning; watch cartoons.

It wasn't till he was mostly done with his cereal that Wally wandered out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He paused at the living room and looked at Dick, who was still only in his boxer briefs and t-shirt, sitting cross-legged on his sofa with a nearly empty bowl. "You know-" Richard started, breaking the awkward silence, "You have no food in your fridge."

"No way, I have a bunch of food in there!" Wally raised a red eyebrow and ventured into the kitchen, wincing when his feet came into contact with the cold tiled floor, and dashed to the fridge. Dick gave him an incredulous look as he watched the half-naked man run to the fridge and pull open the door. Wally's face blanched when he saw that Richard was right.

"If you're talking about all those food containers I threw them out." The ebony haired boy called out, his attention turning back to the T.V. and his cartoons.

"You did what!?"

"They were going bad Wally." Wally looked at Richard as if he had told him his puppy had died. "It had green fuzz all over it. I'm just glad your milk wasn't rancid.

"Ugh!" Wally groaned out over-dramatically and grabbed the milk and made himself a bowl of cereal then joined Dick on the couch with his bowl of crunch berries. They sat in silence watching Yu-Gi-Oh!, thighs pressed together.

"You do know—" Wally interrupted the cartoon and Richards's musings. "—since you're the one who threw my food out, you're coming grocery shopping with me." Wally said solemnly. Dick thought for a moment, finger tapping his chin.

"Fine." He said simply.

"Alright, let's go. I've already seen this episode a million times anyway." He motioned toward the cartoon. "You take a shower first, I'll go in after."

"Wait! I uh, don't have a change of clothes…" Dick stammered slightly at the thought of Wally in the shower. The both got up from the couch and headed toward Wally's room, the bathroom across the very short hallway.

"I'm sure I have something you can wear. Something I don't fit into anymore. So go! March!" He laughed as he shoved Dick into the bathroom.

"I need a towel!" The younger boy exclaimed. A large fluffy towel promptly slapped him in the face before the door was closed on him. Wally rushed into his room and into his closet, looking for something for Dick to wear. When his search came up empty he searched his drawers and also came up empty. The red head crossed his arms, thinking, trying to come up with a solution.

When Dick exited the shower he was mildly surprised to find some clothes sitting his towel he had left on the sink. After looking at the articles of clothing he concluded that he would be killing Wally-very soon.

Wally sat on his bed impatiently waiting for Dick to get out of the shower. He wasn't at all surprised that the boy took long showers but it had been closing in on thirty minutes! It was getting ridiculous. When Wally finally heard the creak of the door opening the red head rushed to the door and swung it the rest of the way open, causing Dick to nearly fall out of the steamy room.

After regaining his composure he glared up at Wally as the red head peered down at him. He had given Richard the same jeans he had worn yesterday and a pair of his old tighty-whities he had yet to throw away. He couldn't find a shirt that would fit the skinny boy so he gave him an old red shirt, slightly faded. It hung off of Richard's body leaving some of his shoulder exposed and even though it was a short sleeved shirt the sleeves came down to his elbows. The boy looked adorable with his hair matted down from the shower and the angry glare he was directing at Wally. Said red head was stifling a laugh which did not help the younger boy's mood.

"This thing is three sizes too big!" Richard exclaimed, arms in the air which caused the shirt to shift on his body, the opposite shoulder now exposed.

"It's the smallest thing I had…You're really scrawny. We may need to pick up some Wheaties for you." That particular comment earned him a fist to his gut. It didn't stop his fit of giggles though.

When Wally emerged from his quick, for Richard, shower he wandered into his room and paused for a second. Richard had shed the oversized shirt and, after rummaging through Wally's stuff apparently, was wearing Wally's old letterman jacket from Central High school. It's still too big on the boy's small frame but when it's buttoned up all the way his shoulder isn't exposed. Wally gawked for a second before pushing the thought that comes to his head and readjusting the towel around his waist. Dick is far too young and innocent to know what he's doing.

"Uh… I see you sound my high school jacket." Wally trailed off. Richard crossed his arms.

"It's better than the giant shirt you wanted me to wear."

"I…don't think that's a good idea." Wally smiled weakly. Richard rolled his eyes before walking passed Wally so the red head can get dressed.

It doesn't take long for them to get to the grocery store in Wally's car as it's just half a mile down the road. With half of the shopping cart full of food, mostly junk food and snacks—Richard notices—they finally make it to the bread isle. "There isn't one veggie in this cart." Richard says as Wally is grabbing a loaf of bread. The red head makes a face and Richard rolls his eyes. "They're good for you." Dick reasons.

"Fine!" Wally shines much like a child would, it causes Dick to chuckle.

"I'll go get some, you go get the peanut butter and jelly."

"You got it boss!" The redhead salutes. Richard walks out of the bread isle and over to where the fruits and vegetable would be. After browsing and picking up a stock of broccoli a voice interrupts his thoughts.

"Richard, is that you?" Richard turns around and nearly drops the vegetable he's holding when he's pulled into a sudden hug.

"Zatanna?" his eyes widen slightly when he pulls back from the hug.

"Hey Richard. It's been a while!"

"How come you didn't tell me you were back from Vegas?" He smiled at her, she returned it.

"I've only been back for a week, chill. It's been kind of hectic."

"Are you coming back to school?"

"Of course; just filling out paperwork and waiting for files and transcripts to come over. I should be good to go in a week or two." She said excitedly. "By the way…" She gave the younger boy a devious grin. "Whose jacket? I'm pretty sure they don't hand those out for mathletes. Has my little Richard gotten another boyfriend? It's about time you got over Jason if you ask me." Dicks face lit up with a dark blush that reached his ears.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Dick half shouted.

"Who's not your boyfriend?" Dick made a sound something akin to a squeak. He turned around and spotted Wally with their shopping cart giving the two a curious look. Well he was giving Zatanna a curious look.

"Wally, uh—this is Zatanna. She's an old friend of mine."

"Hey-a" The red head greeted her halfheartedly.

"Another red head?" Zatanna gave Richard a weird look; something between amusement and curiosity.

"Another…red head?" Wally asked cautiously.

"Yeah, Richard's last boyfrie—" She was cut off by a hand that covered her mouth.

"Last boyfriend?" The red head looked at the younger boy as if asking him to fill in some blanks.

"Thanks Zee. Wally didn't know that I was gay."

"I thought you already came out of the closet." Hey brow knit together looking between Dick and Wally.

"I did, it's just that…"

"Richard," Wally began. "You know I'm okay with you being gay right. I may be from a small town in Kansas but I'm…pretty open minded. Plus I already had an inkling you may be gay." He shrugged and offered Dick a lopsided smile.

"You…what? You knew?" Dick's blush was starting to rear its ugly head. Zatanna looked between the two boys suddenly having the feeling of being the third wheel. Being the good friend she was, she knew Dick needed a moment with his new friend even though her inner gossip was screaming for her to stay.

"Well, I'm going to let you two talk. I need to find my little brother Zack before he gets in trouble. Dick I'll call you later." She waved and walked off.

"Oh, uh, good bye Zatanna." Wally called out.

"Call me Zee." She shouted back. Wally's green eyes wandered back to Dick who stood there still as a statue, not really sure what to say.

"Uh…Dick?"

"How come you didn't say anything?" Was Dick's response. Wally shrugged.

"I just thought you would tell me when you were ready."

"Ah…well…I didn't think I was being that obvious." Dick said eyes downcast. This was incredibly embarrassing.

"Don't sweat it okay." Dick nodded and started toward the registers to pay for all the groceries. Wally, incredibly enough, stayed quiet while Dick thought. He kept a watchful eye on him, watching for him to eventually relax. After they had bought the food and headed out the door, where they again spotted Zatanna only this time dragging a boy who looked about seven, out of the store; they entered Wallys car, food all put away in the trunk, and began the journey home.

The red head made sure to drive extra slow, which didn't go unnoticed by Dick. "So…" Wally finally broke the silence. He could be patient but awkward silence bugged the hell out of him. "Who's your ex?" He immediately regretted the question when Dick visibly tensed. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want…" He trailed off, glancing to his companion then quickly back at the road.

"No, it's better if I just…get it off my chest I guess. No use brooding." Dick relaxed. "His name's Jason. We were together for about six months before I…broke it off."

"Why did you break it off? Six months down the drain…"

"I..He…" Dick paused to try and find the right words. "He wasn't with me because he liked me. Or maybe that's how it started…but…in the end of it all, all he wanted from me…was my body. He wanted me to have sex with him and I…I didn't think I was ready. The first time he took it well but he would just…ask again a week or two later. And he kept getting more forceful each time and angrier every time I said no. Eventually he got really physical with me and I thought, he was g-going to—" Dick trembled as the words refused to leave his mouth.

Wally pulled the car over; ignoring the honks he received from the guy he had to cut off. He turned to look at Dick who had a tear streaming down his cheek. He unbuckled both of their seatbelts and pulled Dick into a tight hug. Dick's trembles got stronger.

"Did he…?" Wally asked through gritted teeth.

"No…I thought he was but I…I couldn't deal with that. I was getting so scared every time we would be together. I –I had to end it. I couldn't…" Tears streamed freely from his eyes.

"It's okay." Wally murmured rubbing the younger boys back soothingly. "You're fine now Dick." They stayed like that for a while. Dick half in Wally's lap, legs still on the passenger's side. Even when it started to get uncomfortable Dick didn't say anything. "Did you tell anyone? Your dad? Your friends? I'm sure Arty would have kicked his ass."

"No…I don't know why I didn't, I guess I thought I was being a bad boyfriend. Like I was supposed to…"

"No Dick, you shouldn't be forced into anything you don't want to do."

"I know that now." He smiled, peering up at the red head as he wiped away the tears. "You know…you're the only one I've told this to." Wally's eyes widened at the statement. All he could think of was, _why?_ Why hadn't the younger boy not gone for help, not told anyone about what was going on? His musings were halted when Richards phone went off in his pocket. Retrieving his phone he looked at the new text message he received from Alfred. Wally was surprised the old man knew how to work a cell phone. The message read "Your presence has been requested by Master Bruce."

"You uh, want me to take you home?" Wally asked as he read the message over Dick's shoulder.

"Yeah. My stuffs at your place though."

"I'll bring it to you tomorrow." Dick nodded and returned to his seat. The drive to the mansion was a quiet and tense one.

Later that night Wally lay awake on his bed looking up at the ceiling. He sighed loudly as he turned to his side and spotted Zitka. Grabbing the plush be brought it into a tight embrace. He couldn't help but notice it smelled like Richard.

_**Okay so, I'm sorry that this was late. I had it almost done a week or two ago and when I sat down to finish it the document mysteriously disappeared. I was very upset and I couldn't bring myself to re-write the whole thing. That is until I sad down and just slogged through it. I'm sorry if this chapter isn't that great(I don't feel that it is) but that's only because I was really turned off from it because I had to type it up again from memory.**_

_**AN ONE!: Okay the first thing I want to say is that Jason Todd is, in the comics, a red head (I'm not sure after the reboot). He only dyes his hair to look like Dick as to not rouse suspicion when he took the mantle of robin.(Batman and Robin Reborn Vol. 1)**_

_**AN TWO!: I had a really tough time deciding whether or not Dicks ex would be Roy or Jason. But for what I want with the plot I think Jason is a better fit. And since this is AU I can make Jason older or in this case the same age as Artemis and Megan.**_

_**AN THREE!: If you didn't know, Zatanna has a younger cousin name Zachary.**_


	6. Important Author's Note

_**This is just an Authors Note (with previews!)**_

I am really, really, really sorry about the lack of updates for both Smitten and Tables Turned. I have recently lost the use of my laptop, which should be fixed very soon AND I have started a new job which has caused a lot of chaos for the last week or so. But with the new job mean I now have income which means I can fix my laptop!

So again, I am very sorry BUT I bring an olive branch! A preview of Smitten and Tables Turned as well as a new fic I will start when Tabled Turned is finished (which is soon by the way only about 5 more chapters to go!)

**Just to let you know that Smitten and Tables Turned have been updated with the same authors note!**

I am not sure if that violates the ToS but I don't plan on keeping them there for very long at all, I don't want to get in trouble—I just want to explain .

So here we go!

**Tables Turned**

Alfred always had paid close attention do Dick, from the shadows and out of the boy's peripheral vision. Usually to keep Bruce informed and, let's face it; Bruce hardly has time for the boy so who else will watch over his ward and guide him. Right now Alfred watched from the small crack in the doorway, he was on his bed, constantly watching his phone and laptop—expecting a reply from the red haired boy he had met for the first time a few days ago, when Wally had dropped Dick off.

The old butler could tell, see it in Richards face, that the ward of Bruce Wayne was absolutely smitten with the older boy. And from the red head; Lingering glances, small smiles and hugs that lasted a bit too long—obvious sinner conflict. That intrigued Alfred and enamored his young master. But now it would seem that Wally was ignoring Dick for the past few days.

Alfred stepped into the room, revealing himself. He caught Dick's attention; said boy glanced at him and quickly closed his laptop.

"Hey, Alfred." He said in a less chipper tone that he usually spoke in. Alfred walked in the room, carefully carrying a silver tray full of snacks.

"Is there something bothering you Master Richard?" He inquired; gray eyebrow arched as he set down the tray and took a seat at the foot of the bed. Richard grabbed a celery stick and sat next to the butler.

**THAT'S IT!** It's only a preview after all. It's still a work in progress and I'll work on it whenever I can since I only have my desktop to work at (I'm and school and, now, work all the time so I'm barely home). Now on to the next preview!

**Smitten**

Robin stood at complete attention behind Batman as the cape crusader worked at his computer. The large monitor showing one of the many, many pictures of Dick Grayson and Wally West that had flooded the internet. The Dark Knight stared hard at the images and he sighed, Robin gulped.

"Dick…" He started, turning around to face his partner, his ward. "I really, sincerely hope I'm not going to find out about all your relationships through some second rate talk show am I?"

"Uh—" Robin started, fully prepared to defend himself but…

"I don't want to hear it."…was cut off. If anything he stood straighter. Batman's tone was becoming closer and closer to the voice he used in his interrogations with underworld runners. "If I'm not mistaken we had a long, extensive conversation on how you weren't going to be in anymore relationships for the time being so you can concentrate on training and school. When did you even meet him?" He gestured towards the picture which was making Dick more uncomfortable by the second.

"Five days ago…" His voice was uncertain—half because he's embarrassed and the other half is because he isn't sure if that was a rhetorical question. Batman's eyes narrow.

"Less than a week? Richard I—" He paused then removed his cowl. His face softened. "Dick, I'm just trying to protect you. You know nothing about this boy; you have so much on your plate already with school, patrol and the team."

"Batman—dad! Please..." Yeah, he was pulling out the dad card. It always managed to pull at Bruce's heart strings. "His name is Wally and I…I really like him. I want to give this a chance and make it work."

"Like your last relationship?" It's a low blow and Bruce knows it. Richard started it though.

"If I remember correctly you set me up on that first date with some pompous douchebag I had met in passing at a party because you think my public image needed "work"."

Bruce opened his mouth to present a new argument but…

"And that's not all! How many times have you had relationships that you wanted to try and make work despite all the things that you need to do? Need I remind you of Selina?"…it was his turn to be cut off.

**There you have it! **That's the end of that preview. As with the other one I am working on it as much as I possibly can with the little time I have at the moment. When I get my laptop up and running once again I will be able to write from school and Work (when I'm on lunch of course) I will try and get it up as soon as possible.

Also, just to let you, the reader, know—these previews are subject to change if I can think of a better way to write them. For now, however this is what I have to offer for **Tables Turned** and **Smitten**.

**NOW! For the preview of my new fic, which is also birdflash!**

**Birds of a Feather**

**Summary: Wally has fallen head over heels with Robin, and Robin returns his feelings. That, however, wasn't the hard part. The hard part is getting permission to date Robin…and for that he's going to have to ask all three of his very dangerous and extremely protective older brothers. ROBIN REVERSAL! (Damian is the oldest, followed by Tim, then Jason and last is Dick.) **_I can't say that this idea is completely mine. I found two extremely interesting Fics with Robin reversal (No, the plot isn't the same as theirs) but I liked the idea so much I'm giving it a shot. When I put the actual fic up I'll list the fics that I found. I can't remember them at the moment._

Alfred was in the study, as he always was on slow Sunday afternoons such as this one. Well, he couldn't really say it was a slow Sunday afternoon since all four of his master's wards were home at the same time…which always meant chaos and above that, _noise_.

"Alfred!" A shrill cry comes from down the fall. Alfred sighs and sets down the book he was reading, still only in the first chapter due to many, _many_ interruption. Titus looks up at him from the oak floor and gives Alfred his most sympathetic look.

They gray haired butler cautiously walks to the entranceway and peeks his head out. There he sees the young Master Dick running at full speed toward him. "Alfred! Help! The demon is chasing me!"

A pair of bola shoots out from the shadows and wraps around the boys legs. Richard promptly falls on his face. "The old man can't help you this time, you little brat." Alfred peers down into the almost infinite darkness the old manor seems to create and spots a pair of white eyes glaring.

"Do try to not damage Master Richard too much Master Damian. I believe Master Bruce wishes to take him out on patrol tonight." The harsh glare is then directed at him and he hears a sinister-

"No promises."

-and Richard is dragged back into the shadows he had come sprinting out of.

"Alfred!" He cries out as the shadows engulf his body and is carried off out of ear shot. Alfred heaves a sigh and smiles fondly before returning to his book. The old manor was always more lively when they were all under the same roof.

**And voila! There you go. That one has been rattling up in my head for months now. And now that Tables Turned is halfway done I can work on the details so it can be ready! There is another plot I'm thinking about doing but I'm going to wait till Smitten is complete for that one.**

**See you guys, hopefully very soon with new chapters!**


	7. Regret

Wally looked at himself in the mirror, hair and skin damp from the shower; towel hanging off his hips as he peers into the reflective glass. He doesn't like what he sees…but then again he never particularly has. Red hair hang hallway down his brow, dark rings around his dimmed green eyes. He hasn't been sleeping well. He's been kept up late by perturbed thoughts of a boy who he's come to know very well—hence the staring.

He's becoming someone one he doesn't want to be. The boy is _fifteen_ and if that didn't make thing worst he was leading a perfectly innocent girl along to distract him…which was putting a strain on the relationship of the boy _and_ the girl. No, this was someone Wally West truly did not want to be. He didn't want to be his father. He didn't want to be the monster that lied to his mother, that—behind her, no, their backs—cheated on them with another family, another woman.

Wally shook his head, spraying water everywhere from his still damp hair. The reflective surface now flecked with water droplets he sighs and exits the bath room. After deliberation he's made a choice. Not the most favorable of his options but the only one he _could_ make…and it broke his heart to do it. He walked into his room, trying not to look at the elephant plush still on his bed among the pillows, and grabbed his phone from the nightstand.

He deftly activated the screen and navigated his contacts. He didn't have to go very far down for this particular name. He pressed dial and brought the device close to his ear. He took in a deep breath as the call was answered.

"Hey, beautiful." He greeted.

"Hey Wally." Artemis answered back, not too particularly thrilled to be receiving this call. She still hadn't made up her mind if this guy was a waste of her time or not.

"What are you doing tomorrow? I was hoping a movie and a dinner?" There was a brief silence.

"Why Wally West, that sounds like you want to go on a date with me." His toes curled and his heart raced.

"Yeah…I do." He said a bit awkwardly. "I know I've been…distant but I mean it this time. You and me. No one else." There was a longer silence before she replied.

"Just you and me? No Megan, no Barbara and no _Richard_?" She said the last name with a certain tone which made Wally feel slightly guilty.

"That's what 'you and me' means." He said in forced amusement. He had to do this.

"That so? I was starting to wonder if you knew what that meant." She said in her usually snarky attitude.

"So…are we on?"

"You've got yourself a date West. See you tomorrow." She hung up. He tossed his phone on the bed and sighed. His eyes wandered from the phone to Zitka.

Yeah, he HAD to do this.

::

It had been a few weeks since he and Wally had spent any time together other than the very short chat sessions and the occasionally responded text message. When he Skype called him Wally never picked up, saying something like 'I have a friend over. I'll talk to you later' or 'At work, kind of busy.'. He knew the last one was a bull shit excuse because he had been "busy" many times at work and still Skyped with him. Wally was ignoring him. No, he wasn't reading into it and no, he was overreacting. His so called best friend and crush was avoiding him. What was worst is that he recently learned i.e. right now, that Wally has been "hanging out" with Artemis…a lot.

Currently he lay on the floor of Barbara Gordon's room staring up at the ceiling as Zatanna, from the computer desk, and Barbara, from the bed, looked down at him.

"I'm sorry Dick but…You had to know nothing was going to come of that crush right? Wally's straight…and it's not like this is the first time you had a crush on a straight guy. Remember when you first met Conner? This isn't the end of the world." Barbara gave him a pitying look.

"It's… it's not the _same_ Babs. Sure I had a thing for Conner but there were no signals from him. Conner and I didn't have this…closeness. I mean I've known Wally for less than five months and he's my best friend…" He thought about that statement and looked up the red head. "No offense." She shrugged.

"I'm going to have to agree with Dick on this one. I've only met the guy once since I've come back but…it felt like something was there. The way he looked at Dick. There's no way to say that there is _nothing_ there."

"Well…I guess I can't argue with you there. I mean you made Artemis feel threatened…which is _scary_ by the way. That chick is like a tiger ready to pounce around Dick before they started getting serious." From that statement Dick groaned into his hands.

"What do I do?" I can't just…_pretend_ he doesn't exist."

"I'm sorry dick but…I guess if you were ever in the running…he chose Arty." Dick isn't sure which one of them said that particular comment, he doesn't care. All he wants…all he needs right now is…

"I know it hurts…but you'll get over this. This isn't the end of the world, there are plenty of fish in the sea and all that jazz. Really, Wally's the one missing out." He gets distracted from the pep talk when his phone buzzed three times in his pocket in short bursts…meaning a text message.

He digs in his pocket and retrieved the phone then looked at the screen. His breath hitches when the phone lets him know it's from Wally. Richard hadn't gotten a text, unprompted, from Wally in weeks. He opened it, apprehensive.

The girls peered down at his curiously. "From Wally?" Babs asked.

"Yeah…" He said.

"What's he want?" Zee asked.

"He wants me to come over." A silence filled the room. Zee broke it first.

"That sounds like a terrible idea." She glanced at Babs for confirmation. Babs nodded back at her.

"She's right. You need to stop before it gets worst Dick."

"Yeah…you're right. I know you both are… I won't go." He smiled at both of them. Then looked back at the message.

::

Wally sat in his living room as he watched TV. Some mindless cartoon he wasn't really paying attention to. He checked his phone for the umpteenth time and he sighed when there still wasn't a reply from Richard. He couldn't blame the younger boy…Wally had been ignoring and avoiding him for weeks. He would have been mad at himself too.

"Ugh!" He groaned and flopped onto the couch. He hated this…this whole situation. He regretted coming to Gotham for that internship. He regretted going into that coffee shop his second day here and meeting a pretty blonde in line. He regretted meeting her friends…he regretted agreeing to Barbara's simple request of taking her _fake_ cousin to the mall. Most of all he regretted—

A knock at the door derailed his train of thought. He hops up from his spot on the couch and nearly ran to the door. He unlocked his and opened the door a little too quickly. On the other side stood a very nervous looking Richard, hands behind his back. He looked up at Wally, lower lip caught between his white teeth and blue eyes looked uncertain.

And suddenly, Wally didn't regret any of it. He moved aside wordlessly and Dick entered into his apartment. Wally let out a slow breath before he closed the door.

_**Here is your very very very overdue chapter…which is a bit on the short side. I am sorry for that but at the point where I finished it didn't seem like I could continue without spilling into the next chapter's story.**_

_**I do hope you guys enjoyed the chapter though! Things are going to start getting a lot more angsty after this so be prepared! There are only 4 chapters left!**_

_**Also, I'm sorry if I slip in an out of third and first person…there's an original story I'm working on that's in first person and it just kind of comes though. I combed through the fic and I think I corrected it all but if I didn't…I'm sorry. **_


End file.
